In the course of performing surgical operations on human patients it is common practice to periodically irrigate the incision and exposed areas of the body cavity with a warmed sterile irrigation solution. Commercially prepared irrigation solutions with added antibiotics or other drugs are commonly used for that purpose. In typical practice, one or more bottles of the irrigation solution to be used are warmed outside the operating room, individually transported into the operating room, and poured into a sterile, open, uninsulated basin that is place on the sterile field in the operating room. The irrigation solution is typically applied with a large sterile syringe, kept in close proximity to or placed within the basin of irrigation solution.
This typical procedure presents several problems and disadvantages. Since the basins used within the operating room are neither covered nor insulated, the irrigation solution cools rapidly to a temperature below that suitable for use, and it is often necessary to replenish or replace the irrigation solution solely in order to elevate its temperature, which is not only wasteful and expensive, especially if durgs have been added to the irrigation solution, but may result in unavailability of useable irrigation solution at a critical point in the surgical procedure. The cooling problem is particularly severe when the holding basins are constructed of metal, since heat may be rapidly dissipated through the basin wall as well as from the exposed liquid surface. The need for frequent replacement of the solution imposes an additional burden on the surgical staff, and the necessity of bringing the replacement solution from outside the operating room increases the risk of compromising sterility. The use of uncovered basins increases the risk that the solution may be spilled if the basin is tipped. Further, the surgical basins used for holding the irrigation solution at the operating table do not provide a means of holding the irrigation syringe, which is often loosely placed within the basin in an upside down position.
No coordinated approach to solution of these problems and disadvantages is known in the prior art. The use of insulated containers for the purpose of maintaining fluid temperature at or near a desired level is known, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,294 to Osborn, et.al., as is the use of insulating jackets for existing containers, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,098 to Stilts. The general insulated container art does not, however, address convenint retention of an irrigation syringe nor does it address the factor of sterility, which is of extreme importance in many aspects of medical practice, especially in a surgical operating room environment.
The use of closed containers having some form of pouring spout or limited entry point is also known in the prior art for some uses, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,165 to Goodenow, U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,501 to Manem, et.al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,492 to Eltvedt. However, none of the known references teach the use of a spout or flange arrangement specifically adapted to the combination of uses most appropriate for an irrigation solution basin, including pouring of liquid into the container, pouring of liquid from the container, and receiving an irrigation syringe for access to the liquid as well as retaining the syringe in a stable position relative to the container.
Accordingly, there remains a need for closed, heat-retaining, insulated medical-use basins, a need for such basins adapted to readily receive and dispense liquids, and a need for such basins further adapted to receive and retain a syringe used for the drawing of liquid therefrom.